Slidable control-knob for an apparatus particularly for a hair-cutter set



March 22, 1966 E. w. TlETJENS 3,

SLIDABLE CQNTROL-KNOB FOR AN APPARATUS PARTICULARLY FOR A HAIR-CUTTER SET Filed June 10, 1963 mm..."mama" F IG.1

INVENTOR.

EDUARD W. TIETJENS United States Patent 3,241,232 SLIDABLE CONTROL-KNOB FOR AN APPARATUS PARTICULARLY FOR A HAIR-CUTTER SET Eduard Willem Tietiens, Oliernolenstraat, Drachten,

Netherlands, assignor to North American Philips Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 10, 1963, Ser. No. 286,772 Claims priority, application Netherlands, June 29, 1962, 280,381 4 Claims. (Cl. 30-34.1)

The invention relates to a control device for use in an apparatus, particularly for displacing a hair-cutter blade into and out of the operational condition.

The main object of the invention is to provide a control device of the kind set forth in a flat shape, so that it projects to a small extent only. Although this is known, the invention provides a solution for the problem of a satisfactory match of the flat knob and of the member to be displaced thereby with the wall along which the knob is displaced, even in those cases in which no adequate space is available on the side of the member to be displaced for the required pressing means.

It is a requirement that the assembly should be simple and permit of being manufactured and mounted at low costs.

The control device in the form of a control-knob is characterised in that a flat spring is clamped between the edges of a flat, dish-shaped body adapted to slide along the outer wall of the apparatus, said spring being provided at the center with a connecting piece extending transversely of the spring body for a hair-cutter blade arranged so as to be slidable on the other side of said wall or for a similar slidable member.

The knob constructed in the form of a flat, dish-shaped body thus permits of accommodating in the dish the spring, i.e. outside the housing wall of the apparatus without occupying additional space, while the dish edges may serve for clamping the spring, so that the construction and mounting can be carried out in a very simple manner. By means of the connecting piece the spring provides a connection of the knob with the member to be displaced, a satisfactory engagement of the two parts and a smooth slidability.

In an advantageous embodiment the flat, thin, dishshaped slide with the spring clamped tight therein may be utilized, in addition, to facilitate mounting. This embodiment is characterised in that the taut spring holds the dish-shaped slide itself, in the non-mounted state of this assembly, in a curved position with respect to the shape of the slide in the absence of the spring, while the connecting piece of the spring is hooked into the member to be displaced so that the slide and the member are drawn to each other and to the intermediate wall of the apparatus by the action of the spring.

The slide can be connected with the member to be displaced, for example the non-driven cutter of hair clippers across the wall of the housing of the apparatus by disposing the slide with the spring on the wall of the housing, by passing the connecting piece of the spring through an opening in said wall into the cutter by the hair clippers, by subsequently pressing the upper surface of the slide into the flat position and then into a position in which it is inwardly bent, so that the connecting piece can engage the other side of the cutter and hook into it. When subsequently the pressure on the upper side of the slide is overcome, the slide and the hair cutter are drawn by the spring towards each other and against the wall of the housing, so that they engage the latter quite closely.

Further particulars will be explained with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawing.

FIG. 1 shows diagrammatically the dish-shaped, flat head or slide in a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 2 is a similar sectional view showing the form after the spring is clamped in the slide.

FIG. 3 shows diagrammatically the assembly in the mounted state in a longitudinal sectional View.

FIGS. 4 to 7 show perspectively the parts: dish, spring, wall of the housing and the hair cutter respectively in detail.

FIG. 8 is a detailed sectional view on an enlarged scale for explaining further FIGS. 3, and 5 to 7.

The dish-shaped slide is designated by 1;; FIG. 1 shows its shape in the unstressed state. FIG. 2 shows a spring 2 clamped with its ends beneath the inwardly protruding, short end walls 3 and 4 of the slide, which is curved upwardly under the action of the bending of the spring.

From FIG. 3 it will be seen that the connecting piece 5, protruding at right angles from the central part of the spring, is passed through a slot-shaped aperture 6 of the wall 7 of the housing of the apparatus and through an opening 8 of the hair cutter 9 and hooked into the bottom side of the latter in a manner described hereinafter. In the operational state illustrated in FIG. 3 the slide 1 is flat and the tension of the spring 2 draws the slide 1 and the hair cutter 9 on either side against the wall 7 of the housing, so that the slidable knob 1 can be used to shift the assembly by a movement in the direction of the arrow P into and out of the operational state of the hair cutter blade.

Due to the resilient pressure of the parts against the wall, the slide can be actuated smoothly. Moreover, arresting lugs (not shown) may be provided on the wall of the housing for limiting the final position.

With reference to the further figures it will be explained how the connecting piece can be readily engaged and disengaged.

FIG. 5 shows a blade spring 2, and a tag punched from the central part and bent over at right angles forming the connecting piece 5. The lower end 10 of said tag is bent over at right angles and at a short distance above the bend indentations 11 and 12 are provided each on one side. From FIGS. 7 and 8 it is apparent that the central part of the member to be displaced and formed by the hair cutter 9 is provided with an aperture 8 of adequate size to allow the lower end 10 of the connecting piece 5 to pass. The aperture 8 has a reduced part 13, the width of which is just sufficient to pass the part of the connecting piece 5 provided with the indentations 11 and 12 by a lateral displacement towards a registering aperture 14. In the longitudinal direction of the cutter 9 the latter has only such a size that the bent-over end 10 cannot pass through it upwardly, so that it hooks beneath the extensions formed by the reduced part 13. When the connecting piece is arranged in position in the manner described above by pressing down the upper side of the slide 1 with the spring 2 to an extent such that the part of the connecting piece 5 provided with the indentations 11 and 12 can pass through the reduced part 13, the pressure exerted on the upper surface of the slide 1 is overcome, so that the spring moves upwardly, the indented part mentioned above is moved to a higher level than the reduced part 13 and the connecting piece 5 is thus ensured against a reverse displacement through said reduced part. The hooked-on end 10 draws the slide 1 and the cutter 9 towards each other and against the wall 7 of the housing. As a matter of course, dismounting may be carried out by the reverse order of succession of said operations. It is obvious that the assembly requires a minimum number of component parts, which can be easily shaped and that mounting can be carried out rapidly without the need for separate fixing means or for making screw joints or riveting joints or the like; the assembly has quite a flat shape and the accommodation of the spring does not require additional space.

From FIG. 6 it will appear that the height of the structure may be further reduced and the slide may be secured against turning by arranging it so that it slides in a slot in the surface of the wall 7 of the housing. The part of the wall 7 itself is formed in this case by a lid arranged in an opening of the wall of the motor housing, said lid being capable of supporting the hair cutter blade, so that the hair cutter assembly constitutes an extremely simple, flat unit which can be readily put out of and into operation, and which hardly protrudes from the wall of the housing of the hair cutter.

What is claimed is:

1. A control device for use in a dry shaving apparatus comprising a shaver housing, a slidable control knob having an inverted hollowed-out portion, an intermediate wall provided with a hole therein, said control knob being adapted to be displaced along the outer surface of said intermediate wall, a hair cutter blade having an opening therein and adapted to be displaced along the inner surface of said intermediate wall, a spring in said hollowed-out portion of said control knob, a connecting piece depending from said spring and disposed substantially erpendicular thereto, the free end of said connecting piece being provided with means which passes through said hole in the intermediate wall and engages in the opening of said cutter blade whereby in the mounted position of said control device on said shaver housing, said means on the free end of said connecting piece having a side surface in flat engagement with the underside of said hair cutter blade, said control knob and hair cutter blade are drawn toward each other against the intermediate wall of said housing by means of said spring.

2. A control device for use in dry shaving apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein said spring is a flat spring and said connecting piece is a struck-out portion of said fiat spring and the means on the free end of said connecting piece is a bent-over part for engaging in the opening of said cutter blade.

3. A control device for use in a dry shaving apparatus comprising a shaver housing, a slidable control knob having an inverted hollowed-out portion, an intermediate Wall provided with a hole therein, said control knob being adapted to be displaced along the outer surface of said intermediate wall, a hair cutter blade having an opening therein and adapted to be displaced along the inner surface of said intermediate wall, a spring in said hollowedout portion of said control knob, a connecting piece depending from said spring and disposed substantially perpendicular thereto, the free end of said connecting piece having a bent-over portion, at least one notch in said connecting piece adjacent to said bent-over portion, the opening in said hair cutter blade having a narrowed part, the free end of said connecting piece being passed through the hole in the intermediate wall and the notch of said connecting piece being inserted in said narrowed part thereby securing said connecting piece against vertical displacement thereof, and in the mounted position of said control device, said control knob and hair cutter blade are drawn toward each other against the intermediate wall of said housing by means of said spring.

4. A control device for use in a dry shaving apparatus comprising a shaver housing, a slideable control knob having an inverted hollowed-out portion, an intermediate wall provided with a hole therein, said control knob being adapted to be displaced along the outer surface of said intermediate wall, a hair cutter blade having an opening therein and adapted to be displaced along the inner surface of said intermediate wall, a flat spring in said hollowed-out portion of said control knob having a struckout part depending therefrom and disposed substantially perpendicular thereto to form a connecting piece, the free end of said connecting piece having a bent over part which passes through the hole in the intermediate wall and engages in the opening of said cutter blade whereby in the mounted position of said control device on said shaver housing, said control knob and hair cutter blade are drawn toward each other against the intermediate wall of said housing by means of said flat spring.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,670,280 5/1928 Carr 24-211 2,020,993 11/1935 Chamberlin. 2,196,417 4/ 1940 Kelsen. 2,692,414 10/1954 Poupit-ch. 3,156,282 11/1964 Bedford 15141.75

WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner.

MILTON S. MEHR, Examiner. 

1. A CONTROL DEVICE FOR USE IN A DRY SHAVING APPARATUS COMPRISING A SHAVE HOUSING, A SLIDABLE CONTROL KNOB HAVING AN INVERTED HOLLOWED-OUT PORTION, AN INTERMEDIATE WALL PROVIDED WITH A HOLE THEREIN, SAID CONTROL KNOB BEING ADAPTED TO BE DISPLACED ALONG THE OUTER SURFACE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL, A HAIR CUTTER BLADE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN AND ADAPTED TO BE DISPLACED ALONG THE INNER SURFACE OF SAID INTERMEDIATE WALL, A SPRING IN SAID HOLLOWED-CUT PORTION OF SAID CONTROL KNOB, A CONNECTING PIECE DEPENDING FROM SAID SPRING AND DISPOSED SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR THERETO, THE FREE END OF SAID CONNECTING PIECE BEING PROVIDED WITH MEANS WHICH PASSES THROUGH SAID HOLE IN THE INTERMEDIATE WALL AND ENGAGES IN THE OPENING OF SAID CUTTER BLADE WHEREBY IN THE MOUNTED POSITION OF SAID CONTROL DEVICE ON SAID SHAVER HOUSING, SAID MEANS ON THE FREE END OF SAID CONNECTING PIECE HAVING A SIDE SURFACE IN FLAT ENGAGEMENT WITH THE UNDERSIDE OF SAID HAIR CUTTER BLADE, SAID CONTROL KNOB ANDHAIR CUTTER BLADE ARE DRAWN TOWARD EACH OTHER AGAINST THE INTERMEDIATE BLADE ARE OF SAID HOUSING BY MEANS OF SAID SPRING. 